This book explores an approach to school improvement that merges the traditions of educational effectiveness research and school improvement efforts. It displays how the dynamic model, which is theoretical and empirically validated, can be used in both traditions. Each chapter integrates evidence from international and national studies, showing how the knowledge-base of educational effectiveness research can be used for improvement purposes. In a clear and practicable manner it outlines: Foundations of the improvement approach Research projects investigating the impact of the dynamic approach Guidelines and practical solutions to translating the approach into action Further developments for school improvement Exploring the crucial factors in the establishment of this environment, the authors outline a dynamic framework that helps schools collect data, through self-evaluation mechanisms, taking decisions about priorities for improvement, and developing appropriate policies and action plans. This approach emphasises educational targets and provides means to achieve them that are flexible enough to fit in with the circumstances of the individual school. The book draws upon research across the world, conducted especially in the United States, Europe, and Australasia, expertly showcasing how the dynamic approach can be used in a wide variety of educational settings A key book for all professionals working in education; academics, researchers, policy-makers, school advisors and practitioners will find it invaluable. Not only it is a must for graduate students, university libraries, and individual academics but also for school management teams, school support agencies and officials in educational policy.

*Explores the best acknowledged ways to maintain and improve school education in the UK *Highlights ways for achieving required standards (such as DfEE standards) *Explores the need to find the right balance between external inspection and internal self-examination as methods for identifying sustainable improvements in schools. While predominantly directed at quality in schools, the book looks outward to quality assurance routes used in FE/HE colleges. It provides a practical opportunity for assessing the effectiveness of methods of quality measurement and shows that inspection is a necessary, but not solely sufficient, condition to develop quality.

The "Improving the Quality of Education for All" (IQEA) school improvement project has, over the last ten years, reduced and evaluated a model of development that strengthens the school's ability to provide high quality education for all its pupils by building on existing good practice. The schools within the IQEA network have also provided the setting for a long-term investigation into the processes of school change and the enhancement of student achievement. This book provides many practical staff development activities and gives examples of specific changes which have taken place in IQEA schools, relating both to the progress of students and the professional development of their teachers. These training activities and examples demonstrate that improving the quality of education has many facets, not all of which can be measured and translated into league tables.

This book makes a major contribution to knowledge and theory by drawing implications of teacher effectiveness research for the field of teacher training and professional development. The first part of the book provides a critical review of research on teacher training and professional development and illustrates the limitations of the main approaches to teacher development such as the competence-based and the holistic approach. A dynamic perspective to policy and practice in teacher training and professional development is advocated. The second part of the book provides a critical review of research on teacher effectiveness. The main phases of this field of research are analysed. It is pointed out that teacher factors are presented as being in opposition to one another. An integrated approach in defining quality of teaching is adopted. The importance of taking into account findings of studies investigating differential teacher effectiveness is argued. Another significant limitation of this field of research is that the whole process of searching for teacher effectiveness factor was not able to have a significant impact upon teacher training and professional development. For this reason it is advocated that teacher training and professional development should be focused on how to address grouping of specific teacher factors associated with student learning and on how to help teachers improve their teaching skills by moving from using skills associated with direct teaching only to more advanced skills concerned with new teaching approaches and differentiation of teaching. The book refers to studies conducted in different countries illustrating how the proposed approach can be used by policy and practice in teacher education. Specifically, the book provides evidence supporting the validity of the theoretical framework upon which this approach is based. Moreover, experimental and longitudinal studies supporting the use of this approach for improvement purposes are presented and suggestions for further research utilising and expanding the Dynamic Approach for teacher training and professional development are provided.

An ambitious, comprehensive reimagining of 21st century higher education Improving Quality in American Higher Education outlines the fundamental concepts and competencies society demands from today's college graduates, and provides a vision of the future for students, faculty, and administrators. Based on a national, multidisciplinary effort to define and measure learning outcomes—the Measuring College Learning project—this book identifies 'essential concepts and competencies' for six disciplines. These essential concepts and competencies represent efforts towards articulating a consensus among faculty in biology, business, communication, economics, history, and sociology—disciplines that account for nearly 40 percent of undergraduate majors in the United States. Contributions from thought leaders in higher education, including Ira Katznelson, George Kuh, and Carol Geary Schneider, offer expert perspectives and persuasive arguments for the need for greater clarity, intentionality, and quality in U.S. higher education. College faculty are our best resource for improving the quality of undergraduate education. This book offers a path forward based on faculty perspectives nationwide: Clarify program structure and aims Articulate high-quality learning goals Rigorously measure student progress Prioritize higher order competencies and disciplinarily grounded conceptual understandings A culmination of over two years of efforts by faculty and association leaders from six disciplines, this book distills the national conversation into a delineated set of fundamental ideas and practices, and advocates for the development and use of rigorous assessment tools that are valued by faculty, students, and society. Improving Quality in American Higher Education brings faculty voices to the fore of the conversation and offers an insightful look at the state of higher education, and a realistic strategy for better serving our students.

The Book, Comprising Two Volumes, Has Been Designed To Facilitate Both The Students As Researchers At The University Level And Teachers As Practitioners At The School Level. Educational Research As An Extensive Activity In The Institutes For Higher Learning Generates Lot Of Enthusiasm Among Students And Researchers, But Little Is Known About The Relevance And Applicability On The Area And Clientele On Which Investigations Have Been Carried Out. An Attempt Has Been Made In The Book To Document The Research Outputs On School Education And To Examine How Could These Be Best Used As An Instrument For Improving School Education And Its Functioning Thereof. The Study Further Documents And Reviews The Trend Of Research Studies With A View To Examine Where We Stand Now, What Are The Gaps And Weaknesses In The Researches And On What Areas Could These Be Best Carried Out In Future. Recognizing The Need For Building Contextualized Research Capacities To Investigate Local Specific Problems, The Book Introduces The Notion Of Practitioner Research By Strengthening School-University Partnerships. This Move Is Envisaged To Reinforce School Practitioners To Take Up Small But Meaningful Researches On Their Day To Day Teaching And Learning Situations. It Is Felt That Due To Lack Of Professional Guidance, The School Practitioners Fail To Carry Out A Small Research Project. The Book, Therefore, Provides Guidelines And Directions To School Practitioners On How To Move On A Practice-Based Research Plan. It Is Expected That The Book Would Be Of Great Use To Students, Researchers, Practitioners And Educational Managers, Right From School To University Stages Of Education As Well As Professional And Vocational Education Training Institutes At Least To Those Who Show Concern And Belong To The Entire Education System But Are Committed To Initiate The Process By Making Strides Toward School Improvement As A Preliminary Step.

This volume sets out to provide experience-based tools for those needing to assess and improve teaching and learning quality. It presents a detailed framework explaining what action learning and research is with information on how to carry out an action learning project.

The Book, Comprising Two Volumes, Has Been Designed To Facilitate Both The Students As Researchers At The University Level And Teachers As Practitioners At The School Level. Educational Research As An Extensive Activity In The Institutes For Higher Learning Generates Lot Of Enthusiasm Among Students And Researchers, But Little Is Known About The Relevance And Applicability On The Area And Clientele On Which Investigations Have Been Carried Out. An Attempt Has Been Made In The Book To Document The Research Outputs On School Education And To Examine How Could These Be Best Used As An Instrument For Improving School Education And Its Functioning Thereof. The Study Further Documents And Reviews The Trend Of Research Studies With A View To Examine Where We Stand Now, What Are The Gaps And Weaknesses In The Researches And On What Areas Could These Be Best Carried Out In Future. Recognizing The Need For Building Contextualized Research Capacities To Investigate Local Specific Problems, The Book Introduces The Notion Of Practitioner Research By Strengthening School-University Partnerships. This Move Is Envisaged To Reinforce School Practitioners To Take Up Small But Meaningful Researches On Their Day To Day Teaching And Learning Situations. It Is Felt That Due To Lack Of Professional Guidance, The School Practitioners Fail To Carry Out A Small Research Project. The Book, Therefore, Provides Guidelines And Directions To School Practitioners On How To Move On A Practice-Based Research Plan. It Is Expected That The Book Would Be Of Great Use To Students, Researchers, Practitioners And Educational Managers, Right From School To University Stages Of Education As Well As Professional And Vocational Education Training Institutes At Least To Those Who Show Concern And Belong To The Entire Education System But Are Committed To Initiate The Process By Making Strides Toward School Improvement As A Preliminary Step.

Learner-centered approaches to teaching, such as small group discussions, debates, role plays and project-based assignments, help students develop critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills. However, more traditional lecture-based approaches still predominate in classrooms in higher education institutions around the world. Faculty development programs can support faculty members to adopt new teaching methods, even in situations where they face significant challenges due to lack of resources, on-going conflict, political upheaval, or the legacy of colonialism in their educational systems. This volume presents research and practice on faculty development for improving teaching in developing countries. Based on the concept that "we teach as we were taught," the case studies in this volume describe ways to organize professional development to help higher education faculty members shift from lecture-based to active learning teaching for students who will become the next generation of teachers, practitioners, professionals and policymakers in their respective countries.